Probe to Have Access to Illegal Bank Activity in the US by Brazilians

In an official note, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice informed that, on February 23, the United States judiciary granted a request by the New York City District Attorney’s office that evidence forwarded to the ministry in November, under the terms of the Agreement on Legal Assistance in Penal Matters (MLAT) between Brazil and the US, be shared with the Joint Parliamentary Investigatory Commission (CPMI) on the Post Office.

The documents include the accounts open by adman Duda Mendonça, who was responsible for President Lula’s media campaign in the last presidential contest. According to Mendoça, he was advised to open an account overseas so he could receive close to US$ 5 million for work he had done for the PT (Workers Party), but using money that was not in the books.

The note, which was signed by the national secretary of Justice, Cláudia Chagas, and senator Delcí­dio Amaral (PT party, Mato Grosso do Sul state), who heads the CPMI, goes on to say that "the decision is the outcome of negotiations conducted by representatives of the CPMI on the Post Office and the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Relations in a series of efforts along these lines, including a recent mission to the United States."

According to the note, the members of the commission "will have access to the documents in the possession of the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation (DRCI)."

The note ends with the affirmation that "the decision constitutes an important advance in the comprehension of the constitutional role of the parliamentary investigatory commissions and marks an evolution in the cooperation between the two countries in the fight against corruption and money-laundering."

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

No Reason to Fear Brazil’s Growth, Says Rice

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a four-country tour of Latin America April ...

Saudis Looking for Opportunities and Investors in Brazil

Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority's (Sagia) president, Amr Al Dabbagh, will visit Brazil late ...

Brazilian Indicted for Green Card Fraud Can Get 15 Years in Prison

A federal indicment was returned June 2 following the arrest of a Brazilian man from ...

Markets: Another Red Day for Brazil

Brazilian and Latin America receipts posted modest declines, as strength in U.S. markets was ...

Brazil’s Latest Growth Projection for 2006: No More than 3.3%

 Despite optimistic projections by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Finance Minister Guido ...

US Company Ads Vex Brazilians

Using emotionally-charged ads in the Brazilian media, American- based company Monsanto is trying to ...

Brazil-UNESCO Cooperation Celebrated in Paris

An exhibition presenting the work accomplished by UNESCO in Brazil over several decades will ...

Brazil Grows 7.8% This Year

Brazil’s industrial sector growth in July was 0.5%, compared to June. That was the ...

After Discovering Joí£o Pessoa I’m Moving to Brazil and Bringing My Friends

My name is Richard Conti. I am originally from New York City. Being raised ...

In Brazil Work Is a Dirty Word Unless You Hold Public Office

If we define statism as an ideology which provides a preferential role for the ...